The Mur de Huy, in Wallonia, owes its reputation to its role as the decisive finish of La Flèche Wallonne since the 1980s: barely 1.3 km long, but with a gradient that climbs to 26% and has produced some of the most memorable uphill sprints in cycling.
A short wall with concentrated brutality
From the foot of the Chemin des Chapelles in Huy, the road climbs just 1.3 km for 130 m of elevation gain, averaging close to 9.6% — a figure that hides a very uneven profile. The hardest section comes right after the Notre-Dame de la Sarte chapel, halfway up, where the gradient exceeds 26% for about a hundred metres before easing slightly toward the summit.
Getting the ride right
A wide-range cassette, around 30 to 32 teeth, lets you tackle the steepest section without having to lurch out of the saddle. The wall’s brevity calls for an effort close to threshold from the base, rather than the paced approach suited to a longer climb.
When to go
March to October, the road being rideable year-round but winter conditions able to make the surface slippery. La Flèche Wallonne, usually held in mid-April, draws many cyclotourists who climb the wall before or after the professional race.
Good to know
Huy, a small town on the Meuse at the foot of the wall, offers enough accommodation for a stopover, with convenient access to Liège, less than an hour away by road, for combining this climb with other Ardennes classics like La Redoute or La Roche-aux-Faucons.